TLC orders more 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'

"Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" -- again. On the eve of what was to be its season finale, TLC has ordered more episodes of its hit reality show, a spinoff of "Toddlers & Tiaras." Though there is not yet a premiere date for the new batch, the network also announced that there will be three holiday specials timed to Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“ 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' has become a pop culture phenomenon,” said TLC GM Amy Winter “What you see is what you get and we are excited to share even more of Alana and her family's unbridled hilarity, sincerity and love with our viewers.”

The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that the cast -- including Alana’s 17-year-old sister, who recently gave birth to her first child -- is now asking for a $10,000-an-episode payday. An insider suggests the family will most likely land closer to an $8,000-an-episode salary after negotiations with the network conclude (that would double their season one salary of $4,000 an episode and a possible built-in location fee).

The series revolves around the daily lives of 7-year-old beauty pageant contestant Alana Thompson -- aka "Honey Boo Boo Child" -- and her family, a group of self-described rednecks from a small town in Georgia. That includes her mom, June; (aka "Mama"); dad Mike ("Sugar Bear"); and sisters Lauryn, 12, ("Pumpkin"), Jessica, 15 ("Chubbs") and pregnant Anna, 17 ("Chickadee").

The show's Aug. 9 debut scored a 1.6 rating in the coveted 18-49 demo and drew a whopping 2.2 million total viewers. It has averaged 2.3 million viewers over the course of its eight-episode first season. That makes "Honey Boo Boo" TLC's third highest-rated series this year behind top-rated "Long Island Medium" and "Breaking Amish," which pulled in 3.1 million viewers for its Sept. 9 premiere.

The first half of the season ends Wednesday, Sept. 26, with a special one-hour episode titled “It Is What It Is."

"Honey Boo Boo" is produced by Authentic Entertainment, which in August received a series pickup from TLC for a docuseries about young cheerleaders titled "Cheer Perfection." The eight-episode show is set to debut in December.

As The Hollywood Reporter first reported, TLC also recently ordered a new series about competitive teen cloggers titled "Down South Dance," which will premiere Sept. 26 on the heels of the "Honey Boo Boo" finale.